I want to take what I learned during Mass and bring it to the field, the court, the track, and the gym.  I fumbled over words and performed actions out of sequence at Mass today. Everything I did hundreds of times before with ease felt odd, wrong, and difficult. I felt so stupid, so incapable, and that I didn’t belong behind the altar.

If you've ever blown a play, dropped the ball, missed the shot, or lost a race you trained for, you know the feeling. The same drill you could run in your sleep suddenly falls apart. You've done it a thousand times, and today your body won't cooperate. Then comes the voice: “You're not good enough. You let your team down.”

Or maybe it's not just the game. Maybe it's the missed workout, the skipped meal prep, the night you ate everything you promised yourself you wouldn't. And the voice says, “You have no discipline. You've ruined everything.”

I know that voice. I heard it recently in a very different arena, and I want you to hear what I was reminded of.

That Voice Is Not From God

The voice that tells you you're a failure is the voice of the accuser. Jesus calls the devil “a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44). He takes a mistake, which is a normal part of being human, and tries to turn it into a verdict on who you are.

But the Holy Spirit speaks differently. The Spirit encourages, strengthens, and lifts you up. “The Spirit also helps our infirmities” (Romans 8:26). A bad practice, a bad game, or a bad week doesn't shock God.

God knows what we're made of. “For he knows how we are formed; he remembers that we are dust” (Psalm 103:14). He understands the tired legs, the nerves, the off days, and the temptation to quit. He isn't disappointed that you're human. He made you that way. 

Here is the part every athlete needs to hold onto: falling is not failing. Staying down is.“For a just man falls seven times, and rises up again” (Proverbs 24:16).  Seven times. Scripture expects you to fall, and it calls the person who keeps rising righteous. Every great athlete has a story of getting back up. Your comeback matters more than your mistake.

To Every Athlete Reading This

You missed the shot. You lost the game. You broke your diet. You skipped the workout. You had the worst practice of your season. It is not the end. You are loved by God. You are His child. Don't listen to the voice that says you're done. Listen to the Spirit, who says, “Fear not; for I am with you” (Isaiah 41:10).

Lace up again. Show up again. Try your hardest again.  Remember it it is always darkest before the dawn and most people give up just when they're about to achieve success (Ross Perot).  Stand Firm (Corinthians 15:58).

Your dawn is coming - keep faith. 

Give Glory to God! 

Blessings,

Fr. Kevin Soenneker